CALL me a pessimist, but when we decided to take a week's holiday in March in the UK, the phrase 'wet weather attractions' kept springing to mind.

With a lively 14-month-old to amuse, not to mention the fact that at five months pregnant I wasn't quite as, shall we say sprightly, as usual, after much umming and ahhing we decided that a city break might fit the bill better than country hideaways or windswept beaches.

It's fair to say we still had some reservations, especially when forecast snow showers co-incided with our departure.

But we needn't have worried. The city of York turned out to offer just what we were looking for, and much more.

We spent seven nights at York Lakeside Lodges, a selection of Scandinavian-style cottages located alongside a ten-acre lake. From the five star-rated Holly Lodge, we enjoyed terrific views down the full length of the lake and it soon became impossible to head out each day until Eleanor had fed the ducks from our balcony.

Our lodge was superbly equipped with all mod cons, including a full-sized cooker, microwave and washer/dryer, not to mention the king-size bed and double corner airbath. In true hotel-style, we were even provided with toiletries and bathrobes!

Although we were nicely tucked away and able to enjoy admirable peace, tranquillity and privacy, it was clear from the number of vehicles parked up outside the neighbouring lodges that we were certainly not the only people who had braved a pre-Easter Yorkshire break.

I can only hope our fellow holidaymakers - many of them with pre-schoolers like us - enjoyed themselves half as much as we did.

Despite their country feel, York Lakeside Lodges are in fact a mere two miles from the City of York, with a Park and Ride bus service running from the nearby Tesco hypermarket every ten minutes, seven days a week (and well worth using as city centre parking in York, as in m any cities, is pretty extortionate).

We spent more than half of our stay in York itself, taking advantage of the Tourism Bureau's YorkPass, which offers free entry to attractions and special offers on restaurants, theatre, tours and car hire. Although each Pass costs from £21 per adult (from £10 per child, aged 5-15 inclusive), we'd soon clocked up significant savings as we enjoyed free visits to the unmissable York Minster, the largest gothic c athedral in Northern Europe, the National Railway Museum and giant Yorkshire Wheel, and the Jorvik Viking Centre.

The latter takes visitors back in time to AD975 to experience the sights, sounds and smells of 10th century York. There is plenty to grab and keep the attention of young visitors and Eleanor even had the chance to watch her own Viking coin being minted and try on a Viking helmet.

Sadly not free, but well worth a visit is Betty's Tea Rooms in St Helen's Square. Step back in time not quite as far as the Vikings, but to the 1920s for afternoon tea or even an evening meal in charmingly olde-worlde surroundings.

Betty's is just one of an extensive choice of cafes and restaurants in the city centre which proved invaluable havens to enjoy morning coffee, a bite to eat, afternoon tea - and simply somewhere to warm up!

Although the threatened blanket of snow never mate-rialised, there were times when the wind was decidedly chilly and streets like the historic Shambles - one of the best-preserved medieval shopping streets in Europe - offered welcome shelter.

Here and in the neighbouring streets you'll find plenty of quirky boutiques and craft shops to browse around, whatever the weather.

Further afield, we thor-oughly enjoyed another journey back in time on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway, taking a steam train from the market town of Pickering through wonderfully wild countryside to Goathland.

Perhaps better known these days as Aidensfield in ITV's Heartbeat, the village itself is just a short walk from the station and won't disappoint fans looking for the Aidensfield Arms, Aidensfield Garage or even the odd '60s police car.

Steam trains will also be regularly operating this year as far as the seaside town of Whitby. We didn't quite make Whitby but we did take Eleanor onto the sands at Filey - albeit wearing a hat and gloves on this occasion - one of several seaside resorts within easy striking distance of York.

And that's the beauty of this part of the world - there's simply so much to see and do. By the end of our stay we felt we'd done little more than scratch the surface of the many and varied attractions in and around what surely must be one of Britain's most beautiful cities.

No excuse not to return then - and I'm already missing that airbath!

alison stayed at York Lakeside Lodges, Moor Lane, York, YO24 2QU. Tel: 01904 702346, email: neil@yorklakesidelodges.co.uk or visit www.yorklakesidelodges.co.uk for more info. YorkVisitor Information Centre - For your free guide to where to stay and what to do, tel: 01904 550099, email info@visityork.org or visit www.visityork.org. The YorkPass allows free entry into 29 of York's attractions. Buy a one, two or three-day pass from Visitor Information Centres, at the railway station, online at www.yorkpass.com or telephone 01904 550099.